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24 / ONBOARD STREAMING
ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT & CONNECTIVITY
ONBOARD ENTERTAINMENT & CONNECTIVITY
Dreaming of The popularity of personal electronic devices and streaming services is making airlines think twice about seatback services, says Benjamin Coren
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tablet, and those latter figures are expected only eatback entertainment remains an to rise. important part of the passenger Airlines clearly recognise the risk - or experience and many airlines say potential. United Airlines, for example, now they don't see that changing. But with the offers personal device entertainment onboard, introduction of better wifi services onboard presenting it as just another choice alongside and growing numbers of people glued to their the seatback facilities; while a spokesperson for smart devices, passengers could soon expect Air Canada said: “Wifi onboard complements to be able to use their own systems onboard seatback entertainment. The ability to watch and start turning away increasingly from the your favourite movie onboard, including newer seatback option. content than you can find on streaming services, More and more airlines are adding wifi services at the same time as being able to browse the onboard and prioritising connectivity efficiency. internet, catch up on work, or message friends, high-speed wifi With advancements in hardware, high only improves the overall is becoming more affordable customer experience. onboard, and peek over their “The convenience of the shoulder and you could soon seatback also plays an see passengers widely using important role - think of their personal electronic PED viewing is a family of four travelling devices (PEDs) to access their becoming a familiar favourite streaming services option: passengers like together. They would need to onboard – no matter how using a familiar device carry four phones, tablets or laptops with them in order to good the seatback options keep the family entertained! being offered are. Not to mention, watching the latest Blockbuster Be it Netflix, Disney NOW, Amazon Prime, Now on a five-inch screen, versus an up to 18-inch TV or Spotify, these services seem set to play screen - it is a very different experience.” a growing role in onboard viewing one way or Larry Meck, United's principal IFEC another as their subscriber base extends. partnerships, said: “The biggest impact is Netflix reported 137.1 million global users as on communication. Since personal device of Q3 2018 and in some destinations, such as entertainment is an 'invisible' product, we have the UK, the streaming service has overtaken more work to do to make sure our customers the popularity of traditional television services. know what to expect and are ready to access Whilst the majority (70%) of subscribers view that entertainment offering when they fly. streaming services via a TV, 15% view via a “Currently we communicate through channels laptop, 10% by smartphone and 5% by their
8 / SEAT TECHNOLOGY
Technology is increasingly embedded in every element of the passenger journey. Richard Williams discovers how designing for digital innovation is impacting the very seats we’re sitting on
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he average passenger may not pay much attention to his or her aircraft seat – unless it’s particularly uncomfortable – but those on commercial aircraft today are unquestionably different from those 20 years ago. They are likely to be lighter and less bulky, constructed from different materials, and increasingly ‘smart’ – adapted to serve our tech-centric lifestyles. Craig Foster, of market intelligence firm Valour Consultancy, recently produced a report on the seats market. He says: “With airlines constantly looking to reduce fuel burn, there has been an intense focus on producing lighter and lighter seats and materials that promise to reduce ongoing operational costs. Airlines will pay more for lighter
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SEAT TECHNOLOGY / 9
The future is behind you
like united.com, pre-departure emails, and our app so customers can preview the onboard content available. For PED viewing we have more work to do to ensure our offer is compatible with popular devices and the various operating systems and browsers passengers use.” Streaming services seem likely to play a role in the future of in-air entertainment but with no single technology or service relevant to everyone, it is partly a question of wait and see. Meck added: “Our strategy is to closely align our entertainment and technology offerings to the needs of our customers, and that means a multisolution approach. PED viewing is becoming a familiar option: passengers like using a familiar device, which is likely to have a crisp, new high resolution screen, updated at much higher frequency than we can on an aircraft.“ Key will be passenger feedback. The carrier has recently added free DIRECTV seatback entertainment on select 737 domestic flights to broaden its entertainment offer and has noted a positive impact of providing greater entertainment choice, with a direct connection to overall passenger satisfaction levels. As inflight wifi technology continues to mature and the cost of delivering it continues to decline, it is likely the choice of viewing options will only increase too but don't abandon the seatbacks just yet. Meck added: “We do not see that offsetting the need for us to provide a robust catalogue of airline-curated content. Rather, we see that as an opportunity to further invest in improving our passenger experience." •
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materials when fuel prices are high, but there is, of course, a breakeven point above which airlines cannot justify the cost.”
At the heart of the sector are the ‘big three,’ he says: Safran Seats, Collins Aerospace and Recaro Aircraft Seating. Together, these account for about three-quarters of annual revenues, but a clutch of new players are also seeking to chip away at the dominance of the big three. And as airlines also look to invest in technology, to improve every element of the onboard experience, seating specialists are collaborating more closely with digital specialists to combine services to best effect.
Strong growth
Materials such as new iron-aluminium alloys and carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites, titanium, magnesium and graphene, are all in the mix, and when new designs and constructions incorporate passenger enhancing technologies too there’s the potential for a further return on investment in terms of the passenger experience. Airlines are investing, with the seat market showing strong growth, and Foster expects the commercial aircraft seating sector to be worth $4.9 billion by 2028 – up from $3.8 billion in 2018.
More control
Adam White, director at aviation design consultancy Factorydesign, says: “There is no lack of enthusiasm for bringing technology into aircraft
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interiors, or lack of knowledge of what is possible, but what has been hard is the transfer of new technology into the cabin without adding weight, without time-consuming certification, and all for an acceptable cost. “Key is to create pieces of added value that enhance the experience. Once the technology itself is part and parcel of the seat, the ground and in-air experiences really start to align. “We are already seeing passengers getting much more control over their environment, with growing opportunities for interaction in the luxury end of the market. But there is still an awful lot more that can be done to improve the Economy experience through technology. “As inflight technology becomes routine
Above: The Air Lair cabin concept from Factorydesign
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News, interviews ideas and editorials: 44 (0) 20 8649 7233 Julie Baxter, Editor: julie.baxter@onboardhospitality.com April Waterston, Journalist: april.waterston@onboardhospitality.com
Tech innovation
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